Randstad operations director Steve Shepherd said the increase over the previous year reflected nervousness about the strength of the resources boom and uncertainty about the global economy.

"Over the last few months, there's been question marks over the robustness of the Australian economy with lots of the talk about the mining and resources sectors coming off the boil," Mr Shepherd said.

"We are seeing a level of caution around that."

There was also an age divide present in the results, with 20 per cent of Generation Y workers reporting that they felt less secure than in 2011 compared with 39 per cent for more mature workers.